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Handyman Allegedly Kidnapped, Forced To Do Repairs

San Jose, CA — A man and woman have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a handyman and forcing him to do repair work after a dispute about the work he’d done for a relative.

Police say that the couple lured the handyman to their home after a dispute with one of their relatives. They then beat the man and held him hostage, forcing him to work.

Jason DeJesus, 36, and Chanelle Troedson, 33, have been arrested on charges of suspicion of assault, kidnapping and false imprisonment. The coupled held the man in their home for several hours before he escaped. The couple had reportedly taken the man to a gas station to buy supplies, but he escaped, police said.

Apparently, after some conflict between the victim and one of DeJesus’ relatives, DeJesus requested the victim to come to their house and do some repair work on an appliance. Sgt. Jose Cardoza of the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office notes, “There was some back and forth with the original person, and the victim wanted to get paid. Then DeJesus got involved.”

“[DeJesus] contacted the victim, and said, ‘Maybe we can work something out while you’re down here. Why don’t you do some work?'”

Police report that the handyman was immediately assaulted after arriving at the suspect’s home. He was held against his well and repeatedly threatened before he made his escape.

The couple allegedly forced the man to repair appliances in their kitchen and do other repairs around the house. The couple then forced the man into his truck, which they drove to the home of DeJesus’ relatives in Santa Clara, CA.

They stopped at a gas station along the way.

While DeJesus and Troedson went into the gas station’s convenience store, the man dashed to a nearby home and called 911.

Eric Hedrick reported, “A blond-haired gentleman came to my door, knocked on the door frantically asking if he could use my phone. Apparently, he said he’d been kidnapped and beaten, and I could visibly see he had some injuries.”

The Good Samaritan let the victim use his phone, and San Jose police officers arrived at the gas station, where the couple was attempting to leave in the victim’s vehicle.

The victim refused to let police take him to the hospital

“He was conscious,” Cardoza said. “He mentioned that he was going to go on his own to get cleared [of any medical issues]. If anything, he was scared, terrified of the whole ordeal.”

DeJesus, and Troedson are being held in the Santa Clara County jail. They will be assigned legal counsel in an arraignment on Thursday.